That Texas Blood, Volume 1 (Texas Blood, 1)

Product Information

Another character in the spotlight is Randy Terrill, a young man who went through the good and the bad in his relationship with his older and colder brother Travis, both of whom were public menaces towards their hometown. There is an anger that ties into Ambrose County, from past sins to the sudden death of his brother, and Randy unleashes that rage to exact revenge towards a place that is becoming a cesspool for the criminals and the corrupt that Condon is setting up in later issues. ThatTexasBlood has a lot of that more-behind-what-it-shows air of mystery to it. i actually even thought there would be more supernatural affectations to it but that turns out to be some storytelling motif.

It's probably unfair to compare this to Criminal just because a member of the Phillips family is drawing, but it looks and feels like a Criminal story and that's what it seems like it wants to be. But the story part never really hits in the same way. Hell, the main character's narrative arc is nearly the same as Tracy Lawless. But the reason for Tracy's return and stay felt earned in a way it didn't here. which is a phrase oft repeated in this book - that was surprising. Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ That Texas Blood, Volume 1 is one helluva debut! Like father, like son, Jacob Phillips, like his dad Sean, has found a great Ed Brubaker-esque partner in Chris Condon to produce what could easily be a new addition to the Criminal library. The ending is really good. It pretty much wraps everything up for this story (but supposedly there will be a second volume which I will definitely be reading). There’s a few comic relief moments that actually help the book in a way. Like, they feel like things that could happen or be said in this and it doesn’t take away from the seriousness of the story, it feels like a possible realistic thing to happen. Sorta similar to the comic relief bits in a lot of Stephen King stories. My point bein’…sometimes you can’t help but walk into a dirty deed. Sometimes…Sometimes the world, well, sometimes she just turns on you…”

‘Haha’ #1 review: An engrossing look at the fall of a man

Because the main character of the story is a writer there’s a prose story that’s meant to be something that the character wrote. So I don’t like when people mix comics and prose in one book and it is a rather slow story included but on the other hand it’s understandable in context of the comic’s story and it does get interesting so in the end, I think it works. I will note: having read this in single issues and waiting each month for the next one, that probably helped me not mind as much, I kinda hope Image puts this bit at the end of the book when it’s released as a full trade. I would have probably been more annoyed if it was at the end of each issue if I was just trying to get to the next part of the story I’m reading in a trade. That Texas Blood doesn’t feel like it was adapted from short stories or an undeveloped script. Condon does a great job writing for comics and his power really comes from how well he crafts small character moments and builds atmosphere with the sharing of folkloric story tales between the people who inhabit the world. One of my favorite things that Condon does here is the addition of Joe’s wife Martha using the police walkie talkie to chat with him throughout the day. It’s a sweet almost irrelevant thing that showcases not only how much Joe loves his wife but also the usually slow pace of the day to day movements in Ambrose Country. Not a bad start, especially for a rookie duo such as Condon and Phillips. I hear this is Chris Condon's first book ever in the industry, so for his official start, it was good.

Chris Condon, the writer and apparent mentee of Brubaker, is also good in this first volume. The story is called by some western noir, and I guess that fits. Condon’s story isn’t as layered or filled with as many pop culture references or is quite as clever as Brubaker’s work, but that is the highest standard. Condon has a nice ear for dialogue and a sense of humor echoing Brubaker: A casserole dish is featured as punchline for a macabre joke.Immersive and bold, That Texas Blood will resonate with anyone thirsting for a full bodied, neo-western noir.” — Multiversity Comics Overall great stuff. I think this will attract many Brubaker comparisons because of the plot and the art work but this has a ton of merit beyond that. Jacob Phillips and Chris Condon have their own flair for telling a story like this. As our Sheriff made his way around town, it started to dawn on me what the writing and artwork were accomplishing. Like any great modern-day Western, it isn’t flashy, but by the end of the story, you realize you’ve experienced something special. I’m not from Texas, but I am from the South, and I can say that I’ve been in this world. I’ve met these people. I’ve experienced the heat that this comic perfectly encapsulates. Everything the story wants to do, it does, and it does it to perfection. Volume One told pretty much a complete story so maybe the second will be about entirely something else. if that's the case I'm totally signing up for it. i hope there will be more lovable characters. This is the first volume of what promises to be a terrific crime comics series in the tradition of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, such as their Pulp (also western) comic. And there’s good reason for mentioning them, the top of the line crime comics team in history, since Jacob did color work on some recent volumes of their most recent Criminal volumes, and Jacob is Sean’s son. And he is really good, having learned at Daddy’s knee. The resemblances are evident and admirable.

Image Comics has long been known as the home of exciting new talent. From the earliest days of the publisher, they’ve been carving out a space for themselves as the bad boys and often the best work that the company puts out reflects that. The first issue of Image Comics’ newest series That Texas Bloodfits under that banner well not only as a horror tinged take on crime in Texas but also hinting at anexploration of masculinity, aging, and finding your place in an ever more unfamiliar world. There’s homespun, down-home humor you might see as cliched, but I think even Texans might enjoy it as fun. Joe Bob kills a rattlesnake with a shovel--hey, why dint he jus’ shoot it?! Joe Bob is every older tightlipped western sheriff you ever saw or read about, but he’s real and really likable. Little touches, too: We see a woman in a t-shirt that reads “Everything's Bigger in Texas.” Someone says, “Better to seem a fool than to open up your mouth and remove all doubt.” This is a great story with well written characters, a very intense tone, some good twists at the end and nicely done artwork.I think it tries a bit too hard to emulate the feel of a Brubaker/Phillips book but it as a damn good copy. Except I don’t remember Brubaker being this good so early in his career. This doesn’t read like a newcomer comic at all - Condon’s storytelling is so damned confident and polished, from the fast-moving, exciting story, to the sharp characterisation and effortless dialogue, this reads like a veteran comics writer at the helm. It’s really impressive. Now THAT is some by god good damn comics, y’all. I knew as soon as I finished the stellar #1 issue that I was gonna just burn through this, and whatta ya know… On to the story. It starts off with this typically Texan community thats close-knit. Condon really got down the dialogue that pe ople down in Texas or the Southern US in general talk, because some words I don't even understand. It might seem boring or casual, but going deeper into the book, a increasingly hints at a a future event. But that allurement still doesn't cover up that this book can be pretty bogged down or dull. idk, it was a jog to get through 2/3rd of this.